A radiocommunication system using the HF frequency range covers the frequencies from 1.5 to 30 MHz. The radiocommunication system is designed for installation on vehicles. The radiocommunications system generally requires antenna systems mainly composed of a radiating structure, a device to supply power to the radiating structure and an impedance matching device, usually called an ATU (Antenna Tuning Unit). The expressions xe2x80x9cradiating elementxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cradiation structurexe2x80x9d both designate the same unit.
An example of this type of antenna system is shown on FIG. 1. In this example, the radiating structure 1, single-pole type, consists of a vertical whip attached by one of its ends 7 to a vehicle 2 by a base E, also acting as power supply device 6 by connecting the end 7 of the whip 1 to the power supply and impedance matching device 3. The whip is thus connected to a transmitter/receiver station 5 via the power supply and impedance matching assembly 3 comprising an impedance matching device 4.
This impedance matching device 4 has a known structure illustrated in FIG. 2 and comprising for example: A set of capacitive elements 41 and a set of inductive elements 42 which can be connected together and whose values can be adjusted through the use of switches 43 to form an LC type impedance matching network. This LC network can convert the complex impedance of the radiating structure 1 in order to present at the input of the transmitter/receiver station 5 (E/R) a impedance fixed according to the required operation, for example a value of approximptely 50 ohms, at the operating frequency, thereby tuning the antenna system, etc.
A processor 44 equipped with an algorithm AL which varies depending on the designers. The main functions of this algorithm consist especially of communicating with the transmitter-receiver station 5 in order to find the instantaneous operating frequency, of controlling the switches 43 and of managing, in particular, the tuning phase during which the algorithm varies, for example by successive iterations, the values of the capacitive elements and those of the inductive elements so that they converge towards the values leading to tuning.
The operation block diagram of this type of antenna system is shown in FIG. 3.
For links required over short and medium distances (typically in the region of 0 to 500 km) from a radiocommunication system installed on a mobile vehicle, the loop type radiating structure is the most suitable. Examples of this type of structure are described for example in the following patents U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,893,131, FR 2 553 586 and FR 2 785 094. FIGS. 4 and 5 schematise this type of structure.
A filiform conducting element 1 is bent over the top of a vehicle 2. This element is powered from one end 8 by a power supply device 6 composed of a broad band impedance transformer 10 and a connection cable 11 (FIG. 5). The other end 7 of this radiating element is connected to earth by a variable pretuning capacitor 12 to generate the radiating surface S of the loop type antenna structure. The radio frequency power supplied by the transmitter/receiver station 5 is transmitted to the power supply device 6 via an impedance matching device which is, in this example of realisation, integrated with the variable pretuning capacitor 12 in the same box 13. Due to this integration the variable capacitance can be controlled by the algorithm AL.
Other power supply and impedance matching assembly configurations can be used.
The antenna systems of the prior art, although efficient, nevertheless display certain limitations in their operation.
For example, if they are used on vehicles, especially on moving vehicles, the dimensions of the radiating structures must be either limited or restricted. The main consequences are: reduction in the efficiency of the antenna systems, sometimes significant, generation of high voltages and high currents in all component elements of the antenna system. This point limits the permissible power of these antenna systems for vehicles to approximately 100 Watts and means that the power supply device 6 must be separated from the pretuning capacitor, which is a disadvantage for integration of the antenna on its carrier vehicle.
Since they are unable to withstand high RF (Radio frequency) powers, especially those of the transmitter/receiver stations used on vehicles which can deliver several hundred Watts or even up to a thousand Watts, they cannot operate reactive elements such as the capacitive 41, 12 or inductive 42 elements, at very high load factors, resulting in a drop in reliability, and are not suitable for the implementation of high power switching components 43 whose switching times are too slow to follow the frequency hopping rates offered by the transmitters/receivers.
This invention concerns an antenna system comprising several radiating elements or structures arranged parallel to each other, each structure being connected to a power supply and impedance matching device.
It applies for example to radiocommunication systems using the frequency range between 1.5 and 30 MHz.
It also concerns an antenna system of small size operating in particular in the HF (high frequency) band covering the frequencies from 1.5 to 30 MHz, designed for installation for example on land vehicles to provide radio links by NVIS (Near Vertical Incidence Skywave) type ionospheric reflection.
It operates with frequency hopping radiocommunication systems.
The invention concerns an antenna system composed of (N+1) approximately identical radiating structures with N greater than or equal to 1, said (N+1) structures being arranged parallel to each other, each radiating structure is connected to a power supply and impedance matching device wherein it comprises at least a processor equipped with control logic Cm adapted to tune the xe2x80x9cmasterxe2x80x9d radiating structure to vary at least one of the tuning parameters and logic Cs adapted to transfer the parameters corresponding to the tuning of the xe2x80x9cmasterxe2x80x9d radiating structure to the xe2x80x9cslavexe2x80x9d radiating structure(s).
The power supply devices can be chosen to supply Radio Frequencies whose phases are approximately equal to most or all of the (N+1) radiating structures.
The system is used for example in the range of frequencies between 1.5 and 30 MHz.
The invention also concerns a method to tune an antenna system comprising (N+1) virtually identical radiating structures, with N greater than or equal to 1, comprising at least a step where each of the radiating structures arranged parallel to each other is powered and matched in impedance for a given operating frequency value wherein is comprises at least the following steps: associate to one radiating structure a master function and to the other radiating structures a xe2x80x9cslavexe2x80x9d function, transmit the tuning parameters of the master radiating structure to the slave radiating structures, vary at least one of the tuning parameters so that they converge towards values leading to tuning.
The method includes for example the following steps: a) initialise the tuning parameters for the xe2x80x9cmasterxe2x80x9d radiating structure, b) transmit the tuning parameters to the other radiating structures, c) determine the impedance value Zmeasured output from the xe2x80x9cmasterxe2x80x9d radiating structure and compare said value with a specified value Zfixed, d) whilst the said determined value is different from the specified value, determine the values of the parameters required to tune the master radiating structure, e) vary at least one of the tuning parameters of the master radiating structure and repeat steps c to d.
ADVANTAGES The antenna system according to the invention offers in particular the following advantages:
It provides a higher and higher digital data rate (in bits/second) in radiocommunication in the HF (High Frequency) band,
It can withstand radiofrequency powers from the transmitter-receiver stations ranging from several hundred watts to even one kilowatt,
It improves the efficiency by increasing the radiation resistance of the radiating system, whilst remaining small enough for use on land vehicles,
It limits the voltages and the currents developed in the reactive elements so that the pretuning capacitor and the power supply device can be grouped on one end, even for high transmitted power.
Since low power switching components can be used it is fast and reliable, unlike the systems of the prior art which must operate the reactive, capacitive or inductive elements at very high load factors, resulting in a drop in reliability, and which must implement high power switching components whose switching times are too slow to follow the frequency hopping rates offered by the transmitters/receivers.